The Pine Bluff Arsenal has contracted with Aacon General Contractors of Jeffersontown, Ky., to perform scheduled maintenance on the Plainview Vehicle Bridge, located near the Plainview Gate entrance, on Arkansas 256, also known as Hoadley Road.
The work includes enhancements to traffic safety features to align with current Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) standards, as well as other preventative maintenance activities to ensure the structure continues to meet operational needs.
Work is anticipated to span approximately 12 months, with the contractor coordinating efforts to minimize the impact on traffic flow throughout the project’s duration.
Larry E. Wright, P.E., of LE Wright & Associates PLLC, said, “This work moves the PBA one step closer to converting the Plainview Gate into the main entry point to the post.”
Wright is a Consulting Engineer for the City of White Hall and a member of the White Hall/Jefferson County Military Affairs Advisory Committee.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Arkansas 256 widening
Drew Hoggard, ARDOT district engineer for District 2, said, ARDOT completed a $2.2 million Pavement Preservation Project on Arkansas 256, from Interstate 530 to the arsenal’s Plainview Gate last year.
This section that runs inside the city limits from I-530, Exit 32, to the Dollarway Road intersection is known as Holland Road.
From Dollarway Road to the Arsenal’s Plainview Gate, it’s known as Hoadley Road.
Wright said the Arsenal has two entrance points, the Dexter and Plainview gates, but neither is entirely suitable for its needs.
Cheryl Avery, a PBA civilian spokeswoman, says approximately 1,000 civilian and military employees and personnel enter the Arsenal daily, with about 11,000 tons of shipments coming and going annually.
Even with ARDOT’s recent upgrades to the highway, Wright said Hoadley Road remains “inadequate” to handle heavy commercial traffic, and the military doesn’t fund road construction projects.
Wright said that moving all the passenger and commercial traffic to Plainview Gate would further require major pavement upgrades and a new bridge to replace the 80-year-old Caney Creek Bridge currently in use.
Additionally, the Plainview Gate would require a significant security and site upgrade, Wright said.
Plainview Gate redesign
The PBA received money from the Department of Defense’s Military Construction funding to design a more secure entrance to the Plainview Gate.
The rebuilt entry is estimated to cost about $15 million.
Once funded and built, this development could significantly increase traffic on Arkansas 256 from Dollarway Road to the arsenal.
The gate is still in the early design stage, approximately 35% complete, and is being handled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District, Wright said.